The sky above Venus had grown pale.
Once a planet brimming with tension, tragedy, and haunting silence, now only dust remained. Its canyons and cracked surfaces bore the scars of a battle not just of bodies, but of wills, legacies, and purpose. The small shuttle stood still on a plateau just beyond the ruined cliffs of the Victinion chambers.
The trio stood at the ship's ramp, bathed in soft golden light as the twin suns broke through the grey.
Noir ran a hand through his silver hair, eyes staring out at the horizon where lightning danced lazily. Behind him, Cloud checked the ship's systems in silence. Kyi leaned against a rock, arms crossed, hood up, expression unreadable.
"So... this is it?" Noir finally asked. "We're just going to leave it all behind?"
"No," Cloud said calmly. "We carry it with us."
Kyi's gaze twitched. "You say that like it's a good thing."
Noir looked over at her. Her markings pulsed faintly in the shade. There was something distant in her eyes — a wall built from guilt and memories.
He stepped forward, awkward. "Hey… you coming?"
There was a long pause. The silence between them was heavier than before, like every step forward would echo with the past.
Kyi sighed. "I said I would. Don't make me repeat myself."
"Right," Noir smiled faintly. "Didn't want to risk a death glare."
Cloud didn't look back as he stepped into the ship. "Let's move. The stars wait for no one."
The engines ignited. Venus faded behind them, swallowed by space.
---
✦
Three days later.
"Coming into range," Cloud announced from the pilot's seat, his claws dancing across the controls.
Kyi sat quietly by the side window, arms on her knees, eyes sharp. Noir leaned forward to look at the planet that now grew in view.
They had seen countless stars on this journey — white suns, ice moons, rings of violet fire — but this one felt… different.
The planet below shimmered with a rusty hue, carved by deep ridges and valleys. Water flowed in narrow bands along its surface like living veins, connecting scattered oasis-like cities and isolated industrial zones. The sky was a faint, burnished red.
Noir narrowed his eyes. "It looks… alive."
Cloud nodded. "It is. Not like Earth. But in its own way — chaotic, controlled, opportunistic. The entire planet runs on trade."
"Trade?" Kyi raised a brow.
"This is the largest economic junction in the system. Port cities carved into canyon walls. Markets in floating domes. Everything from stolen tech to black market genetics is traded here."
"And we're going in unannounced?" Noir asked.
Cloud turned, his golden eyes gleaming. "We're not important enough to announce."
---
✦
Port Machina revealed itself slowly, like a behemoth rising from dust.
The massive city bloomed from the edge of a canyon — thousands of metal tiers hanging over the abyss, supported by cranes, repulsor beams, and old-world engineering. Suspended bridges connected platforms. Hovercraft zipped by in streams of light. Giant alloy statues of ancient traders loomed above the city's top rings, wearing masks of commerce and war.
Every building was layered in screens and signs: "OXYGEN EXCHANGE - CREDIT ONLY." "FLESHMIRROR CYBERNETICS." "BUY DNA, SELL HISTORY."
As their ship eased onto an outer landing pad, Noir couldn't help but press his hand to the glass.
"This doesn't look like a place that likes strangers," he muttered.
"Then it's perfect," Cloud replied.
---
The moment they stepped out, sound and scent overwhelmed them.
Sizzling food carts pushed by mech-arm vendors. Holo-ads danced in the air, showing planets for sale. Neon rats with metallic tails scurried across the floor. Weapons were on full display. No one was unarmed.
The three walked cautiously into the plaza.
"No talking," Cloud whispered. "No reacting. Just look like you belong."
Noir nodded. Kyi pulled her hood lower.
---
They hadn't made it halfway into the central exchange square when a scream split the air.
A trader in a silver jacket stumbled out of a corridor, clutching a briefcase and bleeding from the mouth. Behind him, five masked enforcers emerged, rifles humming with focused plasma.
"Unauthorized deal," one barked.
Without hesitation, they fired.
The man's chest exploded in a burst of red and sparks. Screams echoed, merchants scattered. Kyi took a step back. Noir's hand instinctively went to his belt.
"Keep walking," Cloud ordered. "Now."
---
By nightfall, they were holed up in a forgotten maintenance shaft beneath the third market ring. Noir crouched near a busted terminal. Kyi sat near the vent, scanning shadows. Cloud worked on decoding a local network feed.
"They killed him… over a deal?" Noir muttered.
"Rules are absolute," Cloud said. "They don't tolerate leaks, freelancing, or freeloaders. Especially since the Orecaste Conglomerate arrived."
"The who?"
Cloud pulled up a visual — a sleek silver logo etched with a serpent over a coin.
"Originally a mining guild on Jupiter's moons. Now the largest private economic empire in the system. They control the resource flow — food, fuel, tech, water."
Kyi's fingers flexed. "Sounds like tyrants."
"They call it efficiency," Cloud said flatly.
He stood, eyes hard.
"We need information. Supplies. And we need to stay under the radar."
A pause.
Then — a tiny buzz from outside the vent.
Cloud moved to the slats, quietly peeking through. A black surveillance drone hovered a few meters above their docked ship. It flashed once, blinked green, and zipped off.
---
✦
Far from Port Machina, aboard a hidden satellite orbiting the planet, a shadowed chamber glowed with dim red light.
A man — face obscured by a rebreather mask — adjusted the knobs on an old projector. He leaned closer as the footage stabilized.
A blue-scaled figure. A pale boy with black eyes. A marked girl with twitching fingers.
> "The Blue Dragon Strategist. That pale one… human anomaly. And her…"
He paused, watching Kyi's movements frame by frame.
> "The adaptive specimen."
His voice rasped with excitement.
> "They've landed."
He pressed a switch.
> "On Mars."
---